The Long Distance Lifeline
by AnyDaAngel
Summary: A short One-shot Twilight story for the Epic T-Rated One Shot Contest with a slightly older Bella and Edward - All Human.
1. Chapter 1

**The Epic T Rated One-Shot Contest  
**Hosted by Daddy's Little Cannibal and Bronzehairedgirl620.

The rules are as followed:  
1. No lemons.  
2. It must be rated T.  
3. It has to have a line (not an actual character) about a cannibal.  
4. It has to have a line (not an actual character) about a fireman.  
1. No lemons.  
5. Cannon pairings.  
6. It has to be a **one-shot**, you're allowed to continue it when the contest is over with.  
7. Must copy and paste this to the beginning of every story you enter (you're allowed up to two entries, collaborations are accepted).  
1. **No lemons.**

**Ok – A/N: The typical "I'm not Stephenie Meyers, but I do have dreams of meeting my very own Edward..." – This story finds a very different Edward and Bella – he's recently been honorably discharged from the military, and was on a pleasure trip to Thailand when he met Bella. Bella was on her way to Thailand for training to be a missionary... This takes place about a month later... and.. if anyone's interested, I DO have the story of how they met..but this was what I wanted to enter in the contest. :)**

It was out of the ordinary for her to be calling him this morning, he was jarred awake by the sound of his cell phone ringing..and it was making the sound that he'd reserved specifically for her calls.

"Love? What is it? Are you ok?!?" He was feeling panicked as he was coming out of the haze of sleep. He could hear her taking deep, quick breaths. Something was wrong, it wouldn't matter what beautiful lies she made up, he knew it. He ached to be with her, and collapsed onto the floor, clutching the small piece of plastic in his hand as if it were the holy grail. Then, he heard her voice.

Her voice was the sound of a newborn's cry. It was as light as a butterfly's wings as they flutter. It was the sound of rain on a tin roof. It was reaching the shore, after having been away at sea for months on end. Her voice, and the promise of hearing it again was what had kept him during the most excruciating of circumstances. There were so many things that he loved about her, but the sound of her voice was one of the very top items on his list.

"Tell me about the roses in the church yard, are they blooming yet?" She'd spoken, and it didn't escape his notice that she'd not only chosen to not answer his question, but she'd also started talking as if they were already in the middle of a conversation. He took a deep breath, and envisioned the flowers that were wearing various hues of pink. "They're the colour of that pink dress you were wearing that day that I met you in the airport, remember that dress? It made you look like a fairy without wings. I wanted to ask you if you really needed to spend the money on an airplane ticket to fly.. Love, what is it? What's wrong?"

She started to cry, even across the distance, he could taste salt on his tongue. His body ached to be with her. She'd been scheduled to be home in a few days from now, but something had happened. He'd warned her about her "mission trips" and all that could happen to her while on one of them. The only kind of mission that he wanted to hear of her being on was a mission to starving children at the arctic circle. Surely she'd be safe there. She'd gone ahead with her plans of short trips into China and Laos..she'd stayed with refugees in the mountains of Thailand.. and now who knows where she was?

He longed to be there with her, to protect her. He didn't even need the weaponry of war, he knew that he could figure something out if he had to. He'd watched Macgyver as a child, he'd studied the survival books as a teenager, and he'd survived all of the various forms of combat and getting missions accomplished quietly in the military. The military. His mind flashed to thoughts of getting on a quick flight to wherever she was. He was mentally adding up all of his old buddies that he could possibly call in favors of... He estimated that he could be on the other side of the world in less than twelve hours, and working his way into any enemy territory to save her within two additional hours. Not enough time. After all of his training to make him nearly superhuman, it all came down to the same enemies that often masquerade as allies. Time, and space.

He'd won a battle when he'd met her, but he was about to lose the war and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Love, please.." He begged. All he could hear was her quiet crying and now shallow breaths. "Please tell me where you are. I don't care if this is a secure line – if anyone has you and hurts you, I swear – they can't begin to fathom what I will do to them."

He cringed after he'd finished saying those words, he knew that she wouldn't want anything to happen to anyone – even if they were captors who's actions deserved an agonizing death. This thought made him wonder how he'd ever managed to worm his way into the heart of such a delicately strong living saint.

"I don't honestly know exactly where I am. I flew into the Dhaka, but I'm pretty sure I'm not there anymore.. Edward, I love you." He started crying as though he were a very small child again. So this is the sound of a heart breaking.. To hear the words of the one you love affirming the certainty of never being together again.

He began thinking of all the friends that he had who could likely make it to Dhaka and find her trail before he could even step onto an aircraft. It was only fair that they'd be willing to do this for him, he would march to his death for them.

"Bella," His voice cracked, as he tried to keep his voice calm. "How long do we have, love?" She was silent for a moment, he hoped that she was adding and not subtracting. "Uhm, maybe a few hours? They planned on making a video of it and needed to locate one that works.." His jaw was set in a tight line at the sound of those words. She was an American citizen, for the sake all that bleeds red white and blue.

He knew that they were likely using scare tactics, he'd been taught how to use them, himself. Yet, that knowledge didn't help calm him down. If anyone thought that they could take what was rightfully his, they'd have to fight him for it first.

He came to his senses, realizing that he was already arriving at a military base. He didn't want to hang up and let go of what could be the last few precious moments with her, so he put it on speaker phone, and sat the phone in the passenger seat, where he wished she were at this very moment... then he saluted the guards, showed his I.D. Tag and gunned it for the airstrip as he began to try to mentally write the message he needed to digitally get into the hands of his old unit, praying that one or two would answer for what could likely turn into a suicide mission. He was jarred from his mental multi-tasking by her voice, he'd nearly forgotten that she was still holding a feeble link that was currently his only connection with her.

"Love, please tell me what the sky looks like over my hometown today..is it raining?" He felt as if his heart was being wrenched out of his chest. "No," His voice sounded more stern, like the voice of a soldier on a mission – unwavering. "The sky is bright and sunny. That's how I know that all of this will be a story that we tell our grandchildren while they're drinking sweet tea and eating some of your biscuits for supper. If anything bad were ever going to happen to you, it would be raining around the entire globe – of that I am sure."

She made a small attempt at laughter, and he'd arrived at his destination. Out of the ordinary, absolutely. Out of proper protocol channels? There was no denying it. Willing to risk standing before a court martial? Sure, where do I sign? He carried his phone in the building, cradling her in his right pocket. American citizens, no matter where in the world they may find themselves – are entitled to being protected by their country. A person may go missing without a trace – but when there are any clues to an obvious trail – it is the duty of America to bring them home. No matter whether they're soldiers that carry guns, or soldiers who carry books with words sharper than swords.

In less than an hour, he'd learned that she actually had friends in high places who were horrified about her current status. Sure, he was asking for favors that she continually begged him not to trouble people with, but he knew that she'd forgive him another day.

He shook his head in disbelief as he looked at the list of names he'd written in the notes of his phone after he'd lost his direct line with her. He had in hand, the names and information for two countries ambassadors – one belonging to a neighboring country to the one that she was currently in. She had a network of friends within the country that had been her contacts. In the event that he needed help from Washington – she had the information and personally knew a couple of state representatives, as well as the governor of her home state. He called the pastor of her home church and asked for him to have the ones so close to her heart pray.. then, he opened his car's trunk and shook his head at what was very obviously showing itself to be a divine plan that he only played a small role in. His old uniforms were in a bag, packed and ready for his trip to train National Guard recruits generally made up of brave fire fighters and factory workers that following Saturday.

He bowed his head, and cried out to his maker for forgiveness – he felt like a vampire or a cannibal for the way that he thirsted for the demise of anyone that would dare to even think of harming the one he loved...then he suited up and boarded an aircraft just as his papers were cleared. He had received her call, made a plan and executed it in less than an hour. Just the realization of these facts had him reeling. He would be meeting up with his unit in a short matter of hours. She would wear that pink dress the day that they would marry – he would beg if necessary.

**A/N: I am fully aware that things would go a bit differently on a military base. It's my story in the world that exists in my mind. :)**


	2. Public Announcement

If anyone out there has been waiting to read more from this story, I apologize for taking so long.. I couldn't ever seem to get chapters "just right", and kept dragging my feet about it...

Then, I had my best friend read the first two chapters yesterday, and she said that I should shut up, and post them... so, here I am.

The story can be found at:

(be sure to replace my cleverly disguised "dots")

www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5200599/1/The_Whole_Long_Distance_Lifeline

This has been a slightly public announcement, thank you for your time. :)


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